When I begin a project, whether it's hand or machine, knitting or embroidery- the first step of taking the idea to the fabric is in threading the needle. So it is with this blog. Putting the ideas down- sending them out there- That's what this is about. I hope you come visit often.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

50+ things to do/celebrate.

My "new best friend" Patti Digh has a wonderful blog that I visit when I can. She also has this wonderful book that makes my heart sing- Life is a Verb. You should check them both out.Without knowing it- she has challenged me in many ways- to live my life as fully as humanly possible, to not let the Little Blues turn into Big Blues- to smile and sing and dance in my car.

Another challenge as my 57th birthday slides around, is to ask myself what I haven't done yet that I want to do- this isn't really meant as a bucket list, but as a way of acknowledging that there are lots of things I have always wanted to do, and since I love to make lists...In absolutely NO order at all:1. Get lots of stamps in my passport. Italy and Ireland are at the top of that list of place to go.2.Learn to spin- not as in around in circles, I do that a lot already- as in making yarn.3. In my secret heart I would love to go to base camp at Mt Everest.4. I would love to be fit enough to go to base camp at Mt Everest.5. I would like it a lot if my dogs were well-trained enough to take the park, off-leash. Or just be able to take both of them for a walk by myself! Jep is too strong for me.6.I'd like to be good at Photoshop- and not have to ask Sean for help whenever I need to do something.(but I love it when he shows me stuff- HOW does he know that?)7. I'd love to have a front yard like my friend Pam.

8. Quails. How to raise them, how to keep them safe from hawks... if my neighbors can do chickens, I should be able to do a neighborhood flock of quails, or is the plural 'quail'?9.Learn how to throw pots on a wheel. Check- I ALWAYS wanted to learn this, and I did!10.Blog once a week.11. Spend a whole summer at the beach- in a house by the water- and watch good weather andbad from my balcony overlooking the ocean. Think I'll need a little help with this one!12. Publish. Something. In print- I guess blogging kindof counts, but I'd like to actually publish something on paper .13. Be able to recognize classical composers- as in- "I LOVE this sonata by Chopin", and not- "gee this is nice music, wonder who it is?"14. Half of me wants to be a better housekeeper and never leave dishes in the sink after working all day and falling asleep on the couch at 8pm.15. The other half of me wants to be a person whose life is free and open enough that she can go to bed without doing the dishes and not feel guilty.16.Have more grandchildren. No pressure here, Luke and Sean, but grand kids are the best reason in the world to be alive. (Your own kids are pretty neat, too!) Thanks for making my life so wonderful, Zoe and Noah.17. Grow really good tomatoes, without those little spots on them, organically, NO chemicals18. Learn how to shear a sheep.19. Then learn how to make a fleece into a sweater.20. Learn how to make socks. I KNOW how to do it, but I want to be good enough at it that it's fun, and not frustrating!21. Make socks with interesting cables and vines and stuff, not just straight stockinette22. Be able to speak another language ( goes along with #1) Wouldn't it be cool to understand what they're saying on the Amelie soundtrack?23. Have a huge family reunion, with everyone on both sides of everyone's families!24. Camp in the Blue Ridge mountains, tent camping- none of that namby pamby stuff.25. Learn to play bridge, and have friends that play, like my mom did.26. Learn to paint, not as in painting woodwork, I'm pretty good at that, as in paint a picture.27. Learn to draw horses. OK, this has been on a lot of lists, ever since 4th grade. STILL can't do it, but Zoe said I could borrow her book on How To Draw Horses- so I think this is my year!

28. Holy !@#$ I'll never get all this stuff done!

29. Learn how to sit back and relax, and maybe just watch movies all day on a Saturday. (This probably will never happen;))30. Have a huge party in a field somewhere (with decent bathroom facilities) and invite everyone I've ever loved. From childhood until now. LOTS of good food and good wine. And music by talented guitar players, and good harmonies.31. Drive an ecologically responsible car.32. Always remember my shopping bags, and never have to use plastic bags again.33. Make everything I give for Christmas, and have everyone happy I did.34. Keep working at a job I love until I have enough money to do #1.35. Maybe do #34 part-time, so I have time to do all this other stuff!36. Ride a roller coaster- go figure! I've never done that!37. Have a quilt accepted in a major competition.38. Finish the three quilts I have in different stages of design and completion currently.39.Wouldn't it be nice to not NEED to sleep? Maybe I could learn to get by on less than 8 hours!?40. Have prescription sunglasses, or better yet- those Transition glasses!

42. Go sledding down a looong hill like we used to at Lake Oconomowoc.43. Share Harry Potter with my grand kids- wait! I've done that!44. Be really good at listening.45. Even when I'm distracted.46. Be able to swing dance with Walter at our 60th anniversary party47. Learn to swing dance.48. Almost there! I can do it!49. Hire someone to do the weeding, I hate to weed. How can you call yourself a gardener if you hate to weed? Gardening is 80% weeding!

50. Have a formal herb garden, and dry my herbs for the winter (which, as we all know is brutal in Raleigh NC)51. Be able to get up from sitting on the floor without holding onto anything!52. Learn how to make my eyes up like Megan- all dark and smoky53. Stop smoking- wait! I did this 3 years ago! Good for me! Now to help everyone I love quit!54. Learn to play a musical instrument- drum doesn't count.55. I guess I would also need to learn to read music, then!56. All the good stuff's taken- maybe learn to download music? Legally, of course.

57. Take each day and make it the best day ever. Each and every one!

58. Have a one woman art show- or- even, be in an art show...59. Go to art school

60. I would really like to learn how to help angry, frustrated people see that there is so much beauty in the world , there's not enough time to be pissed off.

Phew! I didn't think I'd finish the list!!So there you have it my friends- my list. I KNOW with all my heart that I am well on my way to many of these- some are already accomplished- But I love it that I have a list- of what's important to me. I challenge you to make a list- start with 10 things- leave it in the comments and I'll choose one randomly and send you a pair of socks- Knit by me, of course! In my never ending attempt to accomplish #20.

7 comments:

Vickie
said...

LOVE IT! I'm away on vacation right now I'll email you on Tuesday! BUT HEY...of all the people I know....YOU are the one who lives life to the fullest and truly appreciates it more than anyone I know! Don't put too much pressure on yourself! Love you!;-)

1--Be published in magazines (I have achieved this, but want to do MORE)2--Publish books,e/books and DVDs to inspire and delight3--Teach art with some of my favorite teachers (this would mean travelling ALL OVER the globe)4--Encourage and support those who do not think they have the talent to make art (this is a special passion of mine)5--Start and run an art centre (like Claire and Leslie at Committed to Cloth. Have you SEEN that facility?http://www.committedtocloth.com/workshop/6--Make a living from art alone7--Have any and all the art supplies and books I desire (I would need the centre from #5 to contain this much)8--Become very good at business (I have SO much to learn, because for decades I thought I was above all that~LOL)9--Become THE expert on paper quilts10--Enlightenment

Ten does kinda stick out, doesn't it? But it has been the basis of my whole life. I simply misunderstood that the material and spiritual are quite compatible. Money is just energy: needed to achieve goals.

Learning about business is an exciting new challenges that I am exploring at an age where most people have switched gears AWAY from business and are on the cusp of what they hope will be a blissful retirement.

Aww...thank you for the compliment, Mary! I believe a yard becomes a garden when it evolves from a state of mind, as well as being an extension of yourself and what you do everyday. It becomes a part of you, and you a part of it...not a weeding chore, but a nurturing act; one that nurtures in return, supplying endless surprises and gentle quietness at just the right times.

Came over from Silver Spring because she mentioned the free handmade socks...couldn't pass that up! Love your list, and share many of your wants - except instead of walking my dogs, I wish they'd stop peeing on the carpet. Does that count? My 10 things: 1: watch whales off the pacific coast on a bead boat; 2: watch whales off the east coast around Massachusetts; 3: travel up to Canada and watch whales; 4 visit New Mexico and do the art corrider; 5 go back to Arizona and do the northern part; 6 get really good at sculpting large pieces with borosilicate glass (which would require, I think, getting good first with the small pieces); 7 get really good at slumping glass; 8 get really good at beadwork using my own fused glass;9 write that self help book I've been starting and stopping for 10 years (I was gonna use my Master's thesis...I have 2 chapters...); 10 have a front yard like your neighbor (=])

My sister is a little challenged when it comes to comments- here's her take on my list- 1. very high on my list, 2. only u, 3.maybe avery few people our age aspire to this, 4.Allieauia, 5. can't walk cats 6. ME TOO! 7. iwant that in my back yard 8. ??????? 9. sounda like fun, but can live without, 10. we would all like that 11. I'd love 2b @ ur side, 12. I hate 2 write, 13. ditto 2 that, 14 & 15. leave them in the sink (no guilt) they will get done eventually, 16. where life should start, 17. get a "topsy turvey", 18. they smell!!!!!!!!! 19. u can make baby sweaters for your yet 2 b grandchildren, 20 & 21 BUY THEM 22. luv 2 learn both french & spanish, 23. I'm there, 24.at this time in my life i'll stay in the hotel looking over the camp ground, 25. mom's friends didn't play fum bridge. i tried to make it fun when i played with them and they didn't like it (shhhh!). 26. YES!!, 27. very ambitious, 28. toooo ambitious!!!!!!!!!, 29. boaring, 30. do along with #23, 31. Amen, 32. a BIG problem for me, 33. don't u do this already?, 34. winning the lottery is my only this will ever happen! 35. no need 2 work if i win the lottery, 36. love 2 ride roller coasters unless the go upside down, 37. how about Kutztown festivae in early july? 38. work! work! work! 39. that i doo all the time, 40.just order them 41 no comment, 42. come up to vickie's in the winter she has the best sledding hill, 43. good 4 u, 44 & 45 you are. 46 & 47, take lessons ms. murry, 48.yes u can (i couldn't) 49. i did that and still consider myself a gardner, 50.put in a greenhouse window and u have fresh all year, 51 go back to #4, 52. ask megan 2 show u, 53. GREAT!!! i did this when i was 20, 54. wish i kept with the piano lessons, 55 the i could read musci too, 56.i would luv 2 download anything, 57. from my point of view u do, 58. great goal, 59. i want 2 go 2 photo classes, 60 you do that, 61. i'm just gals i finished your posting.

I love what you did with the fabric. Looks like great fun! You are always learning and I learn through you. Do you have time to make a hat for the Market Street Mission? Was the hat you made for Noah difficult? Could you share the pattern?Love and miss you... Carol